Virago
by Cairo Mors
Summary: In an alternate universe, Harry Potter is never born. Instead, Lily and James Potter conduct a ritual that summons the power of gods to overcome a curse that has rendered Lily infertile. Their call is answered and Lily gives birth to a girl gifted by the gods. Watch what happens when two worlds collide.
1. Chapter 1: A Star is Born!

**Disclaimer!: I do not own any aspect of the Harry Potter Franchise. That singular honour belongs to J.K. Rowling. I do not, and will not, receive any monetary compensation for writing this work of fanfiction.**

On July 31st, 1980, in an invisible house in the British magical enclave of Godric's Hollow, a child was being born.

The child's parents, James and Lily Potter, two young magical prodigies, had experienced great difficulty in conceiving. Lily, a Charms and Potions Mistress, had fell victim to a cowardly Death Eater attack that had rendered her all but completely infertile. However, due to her and James considerable magical prowess, and the Potter family's collection of books filled with long-forgotten magics, a ritual was soon devised that would ensure the birth of a Potter heir. This ritual would draw upon the magics of three adult wizards and one witch to temporarily bypass the veil that separated the world of Gods, demons, and other supernatural entities. Further, it would invoke the presence and participation of two deities that would bless Lily with a child unlike any other. These deities had been the patrons of generations upon generations of Potters and Blacks, and any child of James' would be both.

Lily Potter sat upright in the middle of a triangle that dominated the room. The lines of the triangle, red and thick, were drawn in blood. Her blood. It had been a bit gruesome collecting all of it but it would be a necessary conduit for the magic that would occur. Moreover, it had the added bonus of trapping whatever entity that would come from beyond the veil within its confines with her... Despite this, Lily sat calmly waiting for the ritual to begin. She was confident. After all, she had played an integral role in its creation, and she knew that James would never allow her to come to harm.

"Lily flower, are you sure that you want to go through with this?", said a mildly concerned James Potter. An upturned eyebrow was all the response he received from his wife. Knowing her infamous temperament, James adjusted his glasses, gave a light shudder and then quickly nodded his head. He hurriedly assumed his position at the tip of the triangle. Sniggers resounded from his left, where his brother in all but blood (well there was a bit of that as well), Sirius Black lounged. "Oh shut up Padfoot, you git. Moony, you ready?" said James as he turned to his other best mate, Remus Lupin, who gave him a resolute nod in return.

"Well then let's begin." James grimly stated.

With these words, the house began to shake. Immediately, a tear in the very fabric of space became apparent and a trio of shining beings emerged. The tear quickly shut and the a barrier appeared in place over the triangle of blood.

"Three?! How is this possible? All the spells indicated that only deities that had been patrons of the family would appear!" a panicked Lily internally raged, She didn't outwardly show any signs of surprise. No, to do such a thing may have offended one of the extraordinarily powerful beings that were currently in her presence and Lily would never dream to do such a thing, not only because her magical senses were being bombarded by the sheer power that these three beings exuded, but also because such a thing would have appalled her late mother-in-law, Dorea Potter. who had been as poised as a Queen. Instead, Lily got to her feet and curtsied, while staring at her own feet.

"I thank you for gracing me with your presence. I am Lily Potter and I am unworthy of being in your presence. And yet I must risk your displeasure, for you see it has long been my deepest dream to be a mother. I am the wife of a magical Lord, the last of a long and historied line. I love him with all my life and wish to provide him with an heir. However, due to foul magics, my fertility has been stripped of me." Here Lily's impassioned speech ground to a halt as she burst into tears. She pushed past the emotion with difficulty." I vow to you that James and I, shall love any child that we are granted."

The being in the centre of the trio stepped forward. His form shifted in a flash of green, and suddenly where once was an amorphous blob, a spectacularly handsome man appeared. He had dark black hair, as black as a raven's feathers, sharp eyes that were a metallic green, and chiselled noble features. This man, whoever he was, was no doubt royalty. If his very presence didn't betray that, then no doubt his antlered crown would. "What an interesting ritual, but you know dear, you have completely ruined my entrance! I have a bit of a flair for the dramatic, or so my family tells me, so I'm accustomed to making the grand opening statements. I was just looking for a bit of fun, a trick to play, a plot to hatch, when I felt the portal summon me. Well, I'll have you know that I hadn't sensed a Potter powering this magic, you all would have been dead already. In any case, I'm rambling and I haven't even introduced myself yet! I am the Patron of the House of Potter, a Prince of the Houses of Odin and Laufey. I am God of Mischief, Magic and Fire. The one and only, LOKI!

Lily was stupefied. That Loki was the Patron of the Potter family was obvious, given James', and even Charlus', penchant for mischief, as well as their strong magic. She just hadn't expected a being quite so… enthused as Loki appeared to be. She hid her surprise well, or so she thought.

"Yes, I am quite enthusiastic aren't I? I am spectacular. Anyway, I would never allow the House of Potter to fail were it in my power to help. I have, after all, devoted millennia to ensuring its prestige. Therefore, I shall assist you. Your child will be gifted with two of my most coveted talents: my cunning; and my signature ability: shapeshifting. I am going now. No sense staying if there is no more fun to be had". Loki quickly made his departure but not before making a few "adjustments" to the lighting. He was a Mischief god after all!

"Ah Loki, he always was a bit of a prat. Great at parties, don't get me wrong, but a prat nonetheless." an ethereal voice whispered. Lily shuddered at the power in that voice. "Fret not, Lily. Your cause, and that of your husband, is dear to my heart. And how could it not be? After all, my son was the original Black" And with that a woman materialized.

Lily gasped. The woman in front of her was, without a doubt the progenitor of the Blacks. Pale white skin, long hair blacker than night, shrewd molten silver eyes, and a cloak made of crow feathers all came together to form the very picture of a dark beauty. The goddess in front of Lily approached her and clasped her hands. She then spoke in a rich deep baritone, "I am The Morrígan, Lady of the Crows, The Phantom Queen, and the Goddess of Death, War and Foresight. I shall grant you and James a child that shall possess my legendary prowess in battle. Also, be honoured, for I shall gift your child the freedom of the sky. He shall possess my ability of flight. Yet I must warn you however, my gift comes with risks: while your son may be free to roam the skies of these Isles, which fall under my jurisdiction, he must be on his guard elsewhere. Sky-gods guard their domain jealously."

Lily quickly nodded her head. Her son would be warned. She would ensure it! Seeing Lily's acknowledgement, The Morrígan flashed out of existence. The redhead turned to the mystery entity that none of them had foreseen.

"Young gods! Where is their respect for their elders? You would think that they would recognize their place. Especially when in the presence of one as ancient and renowned as I. I will see to it that they are suitably punished later. it would do no good got them to think that they could disrespect me again. Now, you must be wondering why I am here? Yes, well dear. It might come as a shock, but you see you aren't exactly as muggleborn as you think you are. You see -- Wait WHAT?-- dear, you are actually a descendent of a magical line that was thought extinct at the end of Grindelwald's War. Lily Evans, you are the heir of the magical ancient House of Shafiq. Therefore, as patron of that lineage, I am also your Patron and that of your unborn child.

Lily thought she had known herself. Hell, she had embraced her muggle heritage in a world that was determined to denigrate her for it. She had endured years of slander and attack and she had come out on top. She had been a veritable Charms prodigy, Head Girl, the brightest witch of her age and she had done it all while being a "no-good mudblood". To hear now that she was actually an heiress of a well known-family, and that she must be a descendent of a Shafiq squib, stung. It seemed to take away all her hard-work and tears and explain it away with her blood. This was exactly what she had raved for years and years about, the purity of blo…

"Now, now, dearie. No need for a mental breakdown. Everything will be alright! And look at the brightside, your child will be getting the blessing of one more Patron. She will have even greater protection than you had originally planned.

Yes, whoever this goddess was, was right! What did it matter of Lily wasn't a muggleborn if her son would be getting more protection.

"WAIT, SHE? But Lady Morrígan just said…"

"Well she was wrong dear. I shall grant you a daughter."

Lily was stumped. She had just wrapped her head around having a boy. She would name him Henry of course, so that she and James would have a little Harry Potter. They hadn't even thought of a girl because of the lack of female Potters in the past few centuries. Well, Lily would love a daughter just as much as any son she could have ever had. Now to find a name…

"You will get to that later, Lily. Now, I must introduce myself." said the voice as a flash of radiance illuminated the room. As Lily regained her bearings, she opened her eyes and gaped.

Lily Potter had often been complimented on her red hair and her green eyes. She was always told that she had striking features. Lily had basked in the compliments, she after all, knew she was pretty. Now, however, in the presence of this goddess, she couldn't help but feel that she was an ugly witch. She was basically a Bulstrode in comparison to the woman before her.

The goddess was dark-skinned. Her skin was a rich mocha colour. Her curly hair, which was restrained by a resplendent sun crown, was the deepest red that Lily had ever seen. She was garbed in a toga that was modestly cut but that simultaneously highlighted her feminine form. Underneath her outstretched arms, enormous shimmering wings, made up of multicolored interlocking feathers, fluttered. The goddess' eyes were an expressive emerald green with hints of gold. She was a rare beauty, and she was so graceful, it was obvious this woman could be nothing but a Queen.

Lily immediately dropped to her knees. She was certain that she knew who the goddess was, and did not want to risk any chance of upsetting her.

"Ah a mortal, who recognizes my power and position. I am reminded why I became the Patroness of the House of Shafiq millennia ago. Rise, Lily Potter. You are in the presence of Isis, Queen of Egypt, Mother of the Pharaoh, and Goddess of Marriage, Magic and Health. As a woman who has faced many trials to be a mother I hear your plea. Thus, I shall grant your daughter powerful magic, and the appearance and grace of one worthy to be blessed by me. She shall be a queen amongst women."

As soon as Isis gave her blessing, she walked over to Lily and touched her abdomen. "She is here", she crooned. With that, Isis disappeared.

Lily had done it! She and James would have a daughter, and she would be loved like no child before her. Lily ended the magic powering the ritual. Immediately, the barrier faded, and Lily saw her husband and his best-friends facing the after-effects of channeling so much magic. As they recovered, Lily thought back to Isis' words "She is here" and patted her stomach… which was strangely distended. Lily looked down in shock. Her baby was here! As if the universe heard her inner thoughts, Lily felt something trickle between her legs and immediately knew: her daughter was ready for the world.

"James! I AM PREGNANT! She's coming!", Lily screeched as she felt pain shoot through her abdomen.

James Potter, who had just seen his wife not ten minutes ago, enter a portal, the fittest woman in the world - if he didn't say so himself- , was stupefied to see her with a stomach that no doubt belonged a pregnant woman who was just about ready to give birth. Nevertheless, his auror training set in, and he immediately jumped to aid her. "Sirius. Remus. Let's go get my son!"

"Umm didn't he hear her? Lily said that a she was coming", Remus whispered to Sirius, while both channeled their magic into Lily, to assist in the birth. Sirius gave a wolfy grin in response and raised a single finger to his lips in response. Remus rolled his eyes. Trust Sirius to stir up a bit of chaos at a time like this.

Two hours later, James and Lily were proud parents.

"He is amazing love, I'm so proud of you, Lily flower!", James choked, overcome with emotion. Sniggers from Sirius and Remus in the background, and, James turned his head, Lily, as well, surprised him. "Well! What's so funny then? I would love to know the joke you all are sharing while I'm bonding with my son"

At this the other inhabitants of the room burst into laughter. " James, honey, we have a daughter!"

"Oh"

A daughter! James didn't even think that was possible anymore. At least not for a Potter. The last Potter to be born female was Beatrix Potter, who had been alive in the fourteenth century! James wasn't in the least bit prepared to be a father to a daughter. He had only ever imagined himself with a son. But that just proved how miraculous his daughter really was! She would be a trailblazer right from the start! A little mischief maker! She had already played a prank on the world and she didn't even know. She could only be his daughter! Looking into her eyes, he knew that he would love her with all his heart and that he would give his very life for hers, god forbid it ever came to that.

"What are you gonna name my god-daughter, Lils, Prongs?", asked Sirius Black, who for the first time in his life felt his attention captured by a baby.

Lily and James shared a look in which they deliberated the name of their child, through the power of legilimency. Potter tradition would have that the child be given a royal name, Evans tradition, that Lily realized was based in the more ancient Shafiq tradition, would be to give a daughter a floral name. In addition, both James and Lily wanted to honour the Black family that had given them Dorea and Sirius. Thus, they reached an agreement. The child would be called...

Morgan Asteria Potter.

She would be their little Aster


	2. Chapter 2: The Halloween Fallout

Both Sirius and Remus swore an unbreakable vow promising to never reveal the circumstances of Aster's birth. Instead, they would claim that Lily had been hiding her pregnancy for the safety of the entire Potter family. The truth would have to be kept secret from everyone, even little Peter Pettigrew, the fourth member of the infamous Marauders.

Lily confided in her husband, and Remus and Sirius, the information that she had learned from Isis about her own blood status. Needless to say, it came as a big shock to everybody that Lily was in fact an heiress of an Ancient and Noble House that the Wizarding World believed to have died out in the 1930s. Her father's family was well documented. Henry Evans even looked like his very muggle parents. No, her father could not be magical. Her mother, on the other hand, had been a Scottish war orphan who had been found amongst the rubble after the aerial bombing of Glasgow in 1941. The House of Shafiq, not so coincidentally, had maintained a residency in Glasgow, before their extinction. The Marauders and Lily speculated that the bombing must have destabilized the wards that had protected the property, and Lily's mother Rose, who had been a little girl, must have been the only survivor of the attack. Rose might have survived the attack, but evidently, she had been a squib. Therefore, Lily was in fact a half-blood.

All in all, this meant that Aster was a scion of two Magical Houses. It was again agreed that Sirius and Remus, would swear an oath promising to never reveal that information to anyone.

Life continued for the Potter family and their friends. Aster grew slowly but surely, and despite being only a baby, she possessed a magnetic quality that drew others to her. Even Peter, who had a special dislike of babies, felt a bit less at edge in the little Potter's presence.

By Halloween of the next year however, Aster's life was irrevocably altered. She, like her maternal grandmother before her, was a war orphan. The sacrifice of her parents, specifically that of her mother, who had refused to surrender Aster to the Dark Lord, Voldemort, had ended the First Wizarding War. Aster, the only survivor of Voldemort's brutal attack, was hailed as the saviour of the British Wizarding World, and was given the moniker the Girl-Who-Lived.

Aster, of course, was only a year-old infant. Thus she was completely unaware of the monumental change in the world that the death of her parents, and her vanquishing of the Dark Lord had occasioned. The little girl only understood that her calls for her parents, and her uncles went unanswered.

 **A** cloaked figure appeared in a deserted alleyway in Durham with a resounding crack. The figure stumbled out of the alleyway and ran into the sparsely populated streetway. The figure shed its cloak, revealing a squat man with watery eyes and a balding head. The man sprinted down the street, while constantly looking over his shoulder. One thing was clear: the man was running away. The man continued running until a flash of bright light impacted the ground right behind him. The bald man immediately ceased attempting to escape. He turned around fearfully.

Sirius Black, dressed in smart black robes, would have looked the definition of a Pure-blood heir had his silver eyes not been completely bloodshot, his face not completely crazed. He was out for blood. Rat's blood. As it stood, Sirius, looked like a well-dressed maniac, and the muggles around him, already confused by the bright light, began muttering and looking nervous.

"HOW COULD YOU!" they both shouted at the same time. Sirius completely stumped by Peter"s audacity was shocked into silence. Peter seeing an opportunity that could be exploited, continued "You killed them!" he roared. Seeing Black's murderous face go blank, Peter swiftly enacted the plan that he had devised while evading Sirius' wrath. With a flash of silver, a small finger, crudely chopped, fell to the floor. Sirius slashed his wand at Peter, but in his grief his aim was shot. A wall to Peter's far left shattered.

Peter, largely unaffected by the Potter's death, and giddy at the apparent demise of his master and the freedom it would afford him, had no such issues with his aim. Aiming at the ground near the group of twelve muggles who were now starting to flee in terror, he cried BOMBARDA MAXIMA!

Immediately, the street exploded, craters opening up, and where once a group of terrified muggles stood, was a pile of bloody, disfigured bodies. Peter took this as his cue to flee. His body curled in on itself and contorted. In the blink of an eye, he was nothing more than a common rat, and he used his size to his advantage to slip into the sewer beneath the city.

Multiple cracks echoed through the night. Aurors appeared on the scene. Seeing a pile of muggle bodies and a visibly crazed wizard, easily identifiable as hailing from the renowned dark House of Black, Head Auror Amelia Bones quickly cast an incarcerous at the only possible perpetrator of the crime.

Sirius was completely stunned at this turn of events. He had expected to have little to no problem finishing off his former friend. After all, Peter had always been a mediocre student, while Sirius had been a duelling champion in his days at Hogwarts. He had just wanted to get justice for his brother and return to care for his god-daughter. He had failed James and Lily. It was his fault! He had told the Potters to make the rat the secret-keeper! He had killed them! Sirius threw back his head and barked a mad laugh.

"The subject, one Sirius Black, admits to perpetrating the crime. He seems to express no remorse. Take him directly to Minister Bagnold. I trust she would like to make an example out of him."

 **A** cross all of Britain and Ireland, wizards and witches celebrated as they learned of Voldemort's downfall.

Owls were sent from family to family to spread the news. Faces appeared in fireplaces screaming the news that Morgan Potter had saved them all. Newspapers flashed with images found at the Potter's Cottage hideout in Godric's Hollow, showing James and Lily, and the Girl-Who-Lived, Morgan Potter.

Firewhiskey and butterbeer flowed like water, and many a wizard and witch became completely inebriated and took to performing showy magic. Unfortunately for the Obliviation Squad, this meant that all over the island there were large-scale breaches of the International Wizarding Statute of Secrecy. The Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold, who had bore the brunt of the population's disapproval during the War, refused to recriminate those responsible. Instead, she asserted that "all wizard's possess an inalienable right to party".

One such family that was in a state of utter relief and happiness, marred only by the sadness at the loss of the Potters, was the Longbottoms. The noble magical family partied on, unaware of the tragedy that was about to strike. Alice and Frank Longbottom, the Lord and Lady Longbottom, were tucking in their son, Neville, when they felt the wards around their house collapse. The Fidelius Charm, which they had used for the duration of the War, had been deactivated as soon as they heard of the Dark Lord's demise. Not thinking much of the the possibility of danger, but wary all the same, the two immediately left their son's room, devoting some time to sealing it off just in case. Their precaution would prove necessary, because not twenty minutes later, Frank and Alice, had lost their minds.

 **The Shed, The Burrow**.

The Weasley's were an impoverished family. This much was clear. To see their house and not notice it, one would have to be blind. The Burrow, however, had not been the family's first home. In fact, it hadn't even been their only home. The Weasley's after all had once been a noble House. Centuries of a historic rivalry with the House of Malfoy, had left them bitter enemies. Enemies that had at every move tried to outmanoeuvre the other. The rivalry however had culminated in a Weasley loss in the 1950s, that had lost them their title and holdings, and left them notoriously poor.

Arthur Weasley, as the head of the family, thus had a duty to dislike Malfoys. That is why when he heard that Lucius Malfoy, a slimy Death Eater, had gotten off scot-free from all charges, he cursed. The Imperius Curse?! As if a Malfoy would need to be forced to be foul, they were born positively dripping with malice. No, Malfoy had been a legitimate Death Eater. He was certain of it!

A squeak at his feet distracted him from his thoughts. Looking down, Arthur saw a battered rat lounging at his feet. Remembering that his son, Percy, had been asking for a pet, he quickly performed a scourgify on the rat. Maybe he would have some money to get rat tonic. After all, it was a time of celebration, even if slimy Malfoys were sipping on wine, instead of being dined on by Dementors. Tucking the rat into the pocket of his ill-fitting trousers, Arthur pondered on the possibility of setting his terror twins on Malfoy Manor. The two had taken to performing highly amusing, if at times slightly dangerous, Accidental Magic. Maybe he could take them to work? Malfoy always was slithering about the Ministry. Yes, that might need some looking into…

The rat in his pocket slowly allowed itself to relax. It's plan had worked. The entire world had claimed he was mediocre, even his friends, but he had shown them all. This rat was not to be trifled with. He would live out his life in comfort in a wizarding home, while Sirius was tortured by those wraiths. He couldn't help but laugh at his cleverness.

Squish!

The rat groaned. His new "master" had a rough grip.

 **November, 1991**

Remus Lupin was devastated. Three of his best friends were now dead, one was a murderer and a traitor, and his honorary niece was not only an orphan, she was a missing orphan. She was supposed to be in his care!

His requests to the Auror Office to locate her had led to Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore had secreted her away, without informing anyone of her whereabouts. Remus questioned what right Dumbledore had to take such action, and under what authority he had made such a decision. He couldn't have been acting in his capacity as Headmaster of Hogwarts, after all, little Aster was not yet a student of Hogwarts, being all of one year old. Nor could his decision have been made as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, nor Supreme Mugwump as Aster's placement would not have fallen in his jurisdiction in either case. Remus, was thus forced to conclude that Dumbledore had made his decision based solely on his role as the Leader of the Order of the Phoenix.

This baffled Remus. How could anyone with so many years of experience in the world of magical politics, disregard the law in such a blatant fashion? Worse yet, how could Dumbledore, a semi-mythical figure for most of the Wizarding World, Remus included, ignore James and Lily's wishes? Dumbledore would have some explaining to do, but Remus would be getting his niece back, whether Dumbledore like it or not. That was for certain. Remus knocked on the Headmaster's door. "Come in, dear boy".

Hours later, Remus Lupin came home with a pounding headache. His eyes, usually so keen, were glassy.

 **Ministry Atrium, June 1984**

The Atrium, which had been transformed into an opulent ballroom, was bursting with the magical worlds elite that was attending the British Ministry's Annual International Magical Cooperation Gala. However, quite a few nobles invited to the party had, throughout the course of the night, slipped out of the ballroom and met in an adjacent boardroom.

The meeting taking place would have worried anyone who cared to think critically. Avery, Crabbe, Carrow, Goyle, Nott, Malfoy, Travers, Yaxley were all noble Houses. This, however, was not all that they had in common. These Houses were all committed to ensuring that the Dark Lord took his place as head of the Wizarding World, and members of each of these families had claimed to have been Imperiused to avoid Azkaban.

"So we are agreed? We must find the Potter girl. When the Dark Lord returns and we present her to him, he shall richly reward us for our faithful service."

All present nodded in agreement. One by one, the congregation dispersed until only Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy remained.

"Lucius, are you certain..."

"Crucio! Narcissa, dear, what have I told you about questioning me?"

"I made an error. Forgive me, my lord"

"Perfect. Dobby?"

A small creature immediately appeared in the room, his ears drooping. It was visibly shaking.

"Escort my wife back home. She has obviously had too much firewhiskey. Oh and Dobby, make sure to punish yourself, you have shamed the House of Malfoy with your quivering"

"Yyyesss, Master Lucius, sir!"

Dobby and Narcissa disappeared with a crack.

Lucius was determined to enjoy the night. He would deal with his wife later. His plans were taking off! He and his House would be where they always belonged: at the top.


	3. Chapter 3: The Return

4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. July 31, 1985.

A girl was attempting to hide in her aunt's rose garden. Her attempt to blend in with the bushes was unsuccessful. With her bright ruby red hair, and glistening green eyes she put her Aunt's award-winning rosebush to shame. Next to the girl's vibrant colours, the pale green leaves seemed sickly, and the red roses, plain. A bony hand reached out and snatched the girl's ear.

It was times like these that made Aster Potter, usually so grateful for her colouring, that she knew she had received from her "no-good mother", wish for different features. If she had been born with dark hair and eyes perhaps she would have been able to finally escape her Aunt Petunia's endless list of chores. As is stood, however, her striking features were making all attempts at ducking her "responsibilities" impossible.

Aster didn't know it but at that very moment her features were changing. Her hair was slowly turning pitch black, and her eyes, a dull brown.

Thwack!

"Stop it! Stop that at once!". Petunia Dursley was furious. She had left a long list of chores she absolutely needed done with the little wench. The kitchen hadn't been cleaned since this morning! The bathroom hadn't been scrubbed in over two hours. Her house was falling into disarray all around her, and the silly girl was playing hide and seek. Not to mention when she had finally found her, Hysteria - the name she had called the child all her life - was being a freak! She was following her mother's freakish ways. Petunia had suspected that Hysteria would follow her freak parents down their unnatural path. She had known as soon as she had seen the girl on her doorstep, almost four years ago. The girl was unnatural, even more so than Lily had been. And yet, she hadn't shown any actual signs of magic. Till now that is.

She pushed the child ahead of her into the house. "Vernon! Come quickly! It's finally happened!"

Vernon Dursley, a whale of a man, came charging into the room huffing and puffing. His fat face was ruddy, no doubt caused by his seconds-long exertion. He looked at Petunia and saw her thin lips pursed in distaste. She was manhandling a black haired child who seemed to be wildly struggling to escape. Who could this child be?

"It's her, Vernon! It's happening!"

He gasped and looked again. Sure enough, after a few moments assessing the girl's features, he recognised her! Ahhh so she had finally proven herself to be a freak!

"Well, Petunia, you know what this calls for."

"Yes, dear. We can't keep here anymore. She's a danger to Duddikins."

"Can't keep me!? I 'm not a danger to anyone! I haven't done anything wrong. I just wanted some time to play. It's my birthday!"

"Shut UP! Histeria, go to your cupboard and pack your things. NOW!"

Aster Potter raced to her cupboard in tears. Hysteria was the only name that Aunt Petunia ever called her by. She had made it up, but Dudley and all the other children at school had taken to using it as well. It was a name that made her feel small, and worthless. Even smaller and even more worthless than she felt everyday. She already knew that the Dursley's didn't love her, and that her parents had abandoned her. Now the Dursley's were going to abandon her too! Aster wanted very few things in her life. What she wanted most was to be loved, to have a home, and friends.

In her mind, Aster pictured the home she wanted to live in. It would be beautiful! Unbeknownst to the five year old child, her subconscious mind supplied her with an image of what her ideal home would look like. To a magical Briton with a bit of an imagination, it was easily recognisable as a restored Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow.

Aster decided at that moment that she was determined to get to that house one day. It wouldn't be until many years later that Aster learned that at this moment she had fulfilled three important criteria.

Determination, Destination, Deliberation.

A deafening crack was all the warning Petunia and Vernon Dursley received before the cupboard exploded.

Upon recovery, they would inspect the cupboard and find that there was absolutely no trace of the girl. Either she had turned herself into fine ash, or the girl had disappeared. The couple was not sure which outcome they preferred.

Aster was being pressed in from all sides. She struggled to breathe. Her vision was distorted. She felt her heart pound in her head. The pain was never ending. As if to prove her wrong, suddenly everything stopped.

What had happened? A better question, Aster thought as she looked around groggily, where was she?

Out of the corner of her eye, Aster noticed feet running toward her.

"Are you alright? Have you splinched yourself?"

Aster would have answered the stranger's questions had she not been so very tired. As it was, she was quickly succumbing to exhaustion.

In response to her tired state, Aster's features rearranged themselves. She once again looked herself, even if she had not known that she had never not looked herself.

The last thing Aster heard before finally falling unconscious was her name on the stranger's lips.

 **Malfoy Manor, 20 minutes later.**

With a flash of green light, Lucius Malfoy appeared in the fireplace of his family manor. He was overjoyed! All the unsuccessful attempts that he and his fellow Death Eaters had made over the past year to find that pesky Potter girl were completely forgotten. The girl had done his work for him. The chit had revealed herself, impressively, Lucius might add. The ministry was abuzz with the news. The girl had managed to apparate across the country, without splinching. Now, however, she was holed up in St. Mungo's, recovering from magical exhaustion.

Lucius laughed. This was the perfect opportunity! The girl lay immobile, and poorly guarded in a hospital ward. Surely, a few trained Death Eaters would have no trouble in retrieving her. He couldn't have planned it better if he wanted to.

Now he had to call an emergency meeting, The girl was in close reach. He could already taste the glory, see the acknowledgement in the Dark Lord's eyes, feel the pat he would receive on his shoulder… Lucius closed his eyes and shuddered. No, he had plans to formulate and execute. He would think about that later.

"Dobby! Gather the crowd"

 **Fourth Floor, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. August 1, 1985.**

The Fourth Floor of St. Mungo's was often very busy. Being the Spell Damage Ward, in a magical world, it was bound to be. However, on this day, busy was an understatement. Not an inch of space was available, so packed was the Ward. It seemed as if the entirety of the British magical population had turned up to the hospital to get any news of its newly resurfaced saviour.

"I will have to ask that all members of the public who are not here to visit family members remove themselves from this Ward immediately!" A Medi-Witch shouted sternly.

Three quarters of the mass emptied the Ward.

"You may carry on. Silently, please." Pleased with herself, the Medi-Witch turned around, intent on finally getting some rest.

"Excuse me, miss. Could you please inform us of the status of Morgan Potter? The Daily Prophet is reporting that she was found on the brink of death in Godric's Hollow. Is that true?"

The Medi-Witch sighed. Rest would have to wait. "Honestly! Where does the Prophet get it's information from? Morgan Potter is in stable condition. She is simply suffering from a rather serious case of magical exhaustion. Now, who may I ask is inquiring after her? Are you a relative?

"Yes, yes I am. My grandson is a distant cousin and the girl's godbrother. We are the Longbottoms."

Augusta Longbottom had been shocked to hear of the girl's resurfacing. Admittedly, she hadn't thought much of Morgan Potter at all. Not since her Frank had been attacked. The grief had simply been too much. It had shrouded everything. She had even forgotten about her own grandson, Neville, sometimes. But those days were over.

"Now, my grandson would like to see the girl." And hadn't that been a shock? Little Neville, meeker than anyone should be, especially compared to his outgoing father, had been adamant that he would visit his godsister. Her initial attempt to deny him, had actually resulted in his first bout of Accidental Magic. This, of course was monumental news, as her brother-in-law, Algie, had begun to suspect that Neville was a squib. Nevertheless, she had relented when Neville had caused a tree to emerge out of the dining table.

The Medi-Witch nodded. "Right this way then."

Neville trailed after his Gran, careful not to lose sight of the woman's vulture hat in the crowded room. The last thing he wanted was to be subjected to her glare. He might just pee his pants if she did. His Gran really was a scary woman.

The trio entered a room whose sole occupant was a sleeping girl. Despite having only seen pictures of the girl as a child, Augusta was certain: she was undoubtedly, Morgan Potter.

Augusta felt a tugging at her robes. She looked down at Neville severely. She would have to begin etiquette classes with him. "Gran, is this my sister?"

Augusta forgot all mention of etiquette, and immediately felt her eyes water. Neville would never have a sibling, she wouldn't be so cruel as to deny him a bond with the girl. "Something like that Neville. Something like that."

Neville nodded excitedly. He had a sister!


	4. Chapter 4: St Mungo Terror

Aster Potter, for the first time in her life, woke up in a large, extremely comfortable bed. Moreover, she most definitely wasn't in her cupboard. Where was she? With a gasp, Aster recalled the surreal experience she had had. It had felt as if someone had trapped her in a box, and then pressed into her nothing to fish her out. It had been horrible. Unbeknownst to her, as she relived the incident, her features were in constant flux. Her hair was cycling between red and white, and her eyes had turned into a kaleidoscope of colours. Worse yet was her face which was restructuring itself at so rapid a pace that at time the girl was left with a completely wonky appearance.

"Gran! Look! She's changing! What do we do?"

"Ahh would you look at that! The girl is a metamorphmagus."

Aster quickly snapped her head in the direction of the voices. A stern-looking old woman and a very young blonde boy were staring at her.

"Hello? Could you tell me where I am? I just remember wishing for a new home after Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon said they didn't want me anymore, and then the worst feeling of being crushed, and I was gone! It was just like Magic! But that can't be real! Aunt Petunia said that wasn't. Please don't tell my Aunt what I just said about Magic! She already said I was a freak. I don't want her to call me anymore names. Please!" At the end of this word-barrage, Aster, already shaken by her Apparition experience, was openly sobbing.

"Come now, child! Everything is going to be alright. No one is going to tell your Aunt anything. In fact, I will be personally see to it that that your Aunt won't ever call you any names anymore. Well, child. I am Augusta Longbottom and this is my grandson, Neville Longbottom. Neville is your godbrother."

A godbrother?! What that was, Aster didn't exactly know, but it was close enough to brother to immediately catch her interest.

Neville, who had been looking on stupefied at Morgan's shifting features and her mood swing, took Aster's silence as an opportunity to introduce himself.

"Hello Morgan! I'm your "not-quite brother", Neville. I have wanted to meet you since forever! Would you like to be my sister?"

Aster immediately nodded her head vigorously. Her wish had worked! It really was Magic!

"I would love too, Neville! Who's Morgan though? My name is Aster, short for Asteria. Though Aunt Petunia only ever called me Hysteria." Aster's lip wobbled.

Augusta, who had been silently crying in the background, and marvelling at the innocence of children, reared her head back in shock at the the girl's ignorance of her own first name. Morgan Potter was one of the most famous names in the world, and yet, the child who bore that name was not only completely unaware of her fame, but of her own first name as well. And Hysteria!? The girl was only five years old, for Merlin's sake! The nerve of those muggles.

Augusta would have a lot of explaining to do.

 **P** olyjuice is an amazingly useful potion in the field of subterfuge and espionage. That is why Malfoy Manor was stocked with several cauldrons-full of it. Now however, much of the stock had been depleted. That meant one thing.

Somewhere out in Britain, Death Eaters were parading around under the guise of others. The thought was chilling.

 **A** rthur Weasley walked into St. Mungo's Hospital. He walked with a leisurely pace, as though he had no care in the world. This would not be completely out of place for Arthur Weasley. After all, he was known to be amiable, but a bit absent-minded.

Had anyone been paying attention, however, they would have immediately noticed two things that were a bit off about Arthur Weasley today:

He was wearing extremely well-tailored robes.

He was the fourth Arthur Weasley to enter the building in the past ten minutes.

 **O** ne such Arthur Weasley was currently making his way to the fourth floor of the Hospital, intent on paying a visit to a child in the Spell Damage Ward. He slipped into the room he had been told to check, and passed his eyes over the room. He noticed two figures he hadn't expected and cursed: this would be more difficult than he thought.

 **A** pair of Arthur Weasleys, fingering the wands in their pockets, walked down a corridor that would lead him to their prey. One of them growled. He had waited long enough! Glory was near… just around the corner in fact.

 **T** he last Arthur Weasley had been given a singular and very simple task: distract. He would be drawing the attention of the Hospital. This would allow his associates a chance to quickly secure the Potter chit, with the added bonus of drawing more attention his façade, the blood-traitor, Arthur Weasley. Casting a Tempus spell, he saw that he had almost missed the allotted commencement time.

And… NOW!

BOMBARDA MAXIMA! DIFFINDO! REDUCTO! REDUCTO!

Chaos reigned.

 **A** rthur Weasley announced his presence in the room.

"Now Molly, I can explain! Fred and George - he turned to look at the little buggers - attempted to convince poor Ron to do an Unbreakable Vow. I was able to stop Ron from accepting the Vow, but the magic they had summoned exploded in his face. They're all lucky to be alive to be perfectly honest."

"Yes Arthur, the Healers informed me of that little tidbit. What I want to know is how you are going to discipline these boys? Their unruliness has gone on for far too long!"

Fred and George, also known as the Terror Twins, had been snickering in the background, until they heard their mother's last statement. Then they gasped in horror. Their father didn't deny their mother anything, and right now she wanted to skin their hides! Would she make him do it for her?

The twins groaned in unison.

The hospital started to shake violently. Loud explosions could be heard in the background.

"What's going on Arthur!?"

"I don't know Molly, I don't know."

 **T** he remaining pair of Arthur Weasleys turned the corner and entered the first door to the left.

Augusta Longbottom was nearing the end of a rather lengthy, more child-bearing synopsis of the events culminating in Aster's extended stay with her aunt, when two Arthur Weasleys barged into the room. Immediately, Augusta knew something was wrong. Arthur was Augusta's first cousin, and she could state categorically that he did not have a twin. Also, the expressions the two Arthurs had on their faces were completely unavailable to the real Arthur Weasley. The real Arthur, Molly's Arthur, could never summoned up the have necessary to glare at someone in the manner one of them was doing, much less growl, as the other was doing. Imposters!

Augusta had drawn her wand, and sent off three spells in the time it had taken the imposters to realise that she had not fallen for their ruse.

One of the imposters went crashing to the floor. The other jumped out of the way and sneered at her. Green light gathered at the tip of his wand and burst out like a lightning bolt.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Augusta gasped, she would be unable to dodge the curse. Just as she was certain the light would connect with her, a bright good shield erected over her. She looked around in wonder to see which newcomer could have saved her life, and was shocked when she found no one. Instead, she was that Aster's eyes were glowing the same gold of the shield. The girl had saved her life!

Augusta calmed her racing heart to analyse the situation. The imposters that she had knocked out was slowly starting to regain consciousness. Odds were not in her favour.

Spells rained down on the shield in front of her. Channeling her magic in ways she hadn't for many years, Augusta attempted to transfigure the floor beneath the imposters, She was unsuccessful. The floors must have been spell-resistant! Changing her focus, Augusta finally struck gold. She had successfully transfigured the ankles of one of the fake-Arthurs into water.

Suddenly ankle-less, the man dropped to the floor in agony, knocking his head along the way. He fell unconscious,

The shield in front of Augusta flickered, and finally petered out. The girl must have fallen unconscious. Augusta could not afford to check. She could just hope that Aster would be alright.

A battle of multicoloured spells ensued. Finally, however, Augusta's age reared it's head. She felt her wand be jerked out of her hand. She was defenceless. It was over.

The imposter raised his wand and once again gathered green sparks at the tip of his wand. Something peculiar seemed to occur. As the green light reached its peak, the imposter's wand gave a warning crack. More cracks followed. The wizard attempted to release the spell. The wand at last split in two. It was turning into a tree! Whirling towards her grandson, Augusta saw Neville smile before slumping over.

In the span of five minutes, she had almost lost her life twice. And both times she had been saved by a five year old. It was completely unfair! She would have to thank Merlin though.

Without attempting to retrieve her wand, Augusta charged at the imposter, whose natural features were slowly starting to reassert themselves. She collided with him and immediately started to pummel him with punches. Seeing her wand within reach, Augusta grabbed and shot a quick incarcerous toward the downed man.

Platinum blonde hair, pale skin, an aquiline nose, thin lips and a strong jaw. It was Lucius Malfoy! A ripped sleeve showed a pulsing Dark Mark.

"Well, well, well, Lucy. I guess I won't be seeing you in the Wizengamot anymore. Enjoy Azkaban, you scum! STUPEFY!"

Looking over the other imposter, Augusta quickly ascertained his identity: Fenrir Greyback. She ensured that he was well and truly unconscious by hitting him with a few more stunning spells and then summoning a silver chain to restrain him.

She sent out her patronus - a vulture- to seek immediate attention for Neville and Aster, and for the aurors to relieve her of these filthy Death Eaters.

Before the aurors did come though, she would have a bit of fun.

Practice for Bellatrix.

 **T** he wizarding world was shocked to its core. For the first time in history, St. Mungo's Hospital had been the target of a terrorist attack. What's more, the attack had been perpetrated by Death Eaters intent on capturing the Girl-Who-Lived, no doubt for nefarious purposes.

And yet there was still more: the identities of the Death Eaters. Lucius Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe Sr., both Lords of the Wizengamot, and Fenrir Greyback, the notorious werewolf.

That the attack had actually resulted in casualties, and extensive damage to the hospital, had been a cause of outrage. The Ministry was being flooded with howlers of concerned citizens who were furious at the vulnerability of one of the most important institutions of Magical Great Britain and Ireland. In addition, calls were being made for increased regulation of the Polyjuice Potion, which had been used to such terrifying effect. The Death Eaters had worn the guise of a well-known, and generally well-liked, wizard to carry out their attack. Had they been successful, poor Arthur Weasley might have faced the horrors of Azkaban.

Cornelius Fudge had received the patronage of Lucius Malfoy for nigh on half a decade, and had, in that time, been seen with Lucius at hundreds of events. He had dined at Malfoy Manor, and had even claimed to be good friends with the man. Now, however, the Malfoy name was poison. Citizens were calling for his head, egged on by that wretched Rita Skeeter. He had to distance himself from the Malfoys, and be seen as being tough on all Death Eaters, and especially Lucius. Also, he could not afford for Lucius to go spilling any secrets to the public. After all, Fudge had known for years of Malfoy's allegiance to the Dark Lord. Which is why Cornelius issued the Death Sentence to all three terrorists. They would be Kissed. Surely now the public's opinion would be quelled?

He had miscalculated. Massively. The public had not been pleased to know that the terrorists had not even been questioned with Veritaserum before being left to the Dementors. In fact, most everyone had sensed a cover-up. Hoping to avoid an impeachment process that would strip him of any benefits he would receive as a former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, decked out in his green bowler hat, announced his retirement.

Once again, however, Fudge had miscalculated. Had he remained Minister, he would have been immune from any criminal proceedings against him. As a former mInister however, he had no such immunity. A special inquiry soon turned into the single largest political Witch-Hunt of the past three centuries. All members of the Wizengamot, including those he knew to be Death Eaters, even his slimy former Undersecretary, that hag Umbridge, had voted for his immediate imprisonment.

The Minister would spend the next six years in Azkaban.


	5. Chapter 5: Snakes, Shadows and Surprises

Longbottom Manor. July 31,1991.

Aster Potter was thrilled. Today was her eleventh birthday, and she had finally received her Hogwarts letter. Neville, the prat, had been teasing her all day by showing off his letter, which had only arrived the day before. Aster could not help but feel excited: going to Hogwarts would mark the start of her journey to becoming a witch!

With both the children of the Longbottom Manor having received their Hogwarts letters, it was quickly decided that a trip to Diagon Alley was in order. After ensuring that Aster's uncle, Remus, would meet them at Ollivander's, Augusta Longbottom, and her two charges, stepped into the massive fireplace. They all clearly intoned "Diagon Alley!" and in a flare of green fire, the Longbottoms, and one Potter, appeared in the magical shopping district.

Diagon Alley was a street steeped in history. It had originally been a congregating point for the Ancient Druids, and had at some point turned into a commercial centre. As the years went by, and the wizarding population had grown, more and more offshooting roads had been added, until a large shopping district had been formed. The fireplace that Longbottom Manor was connected to opened out into Statistic Alley, a street which intersected with Diagon close to Gringotts. This was extremely convenient for the group now, as Gringotts would need to be the first stop.

Upon entering the bank, the Longbottoms and Aster split up. Goblin etiquette demanded that a client would receive information only of their own account, and Gringotts rules forbid the presence of persons unconnected to an account in a meeting. It would serve no purpose to antagonize the Goblins by appearing ignorant of their customs.

Before they went to their respective tellers, Aster and Neville exchanged nervous nods. They had learned the significance of what they were now about to do, years ago, and both were excited, and anxious, for the opportunity finally having arrived. On this day, Aster and Neville would be accepting their position as Heirs to their respective Houses.

"Ahhh, Morgan Potter! Gringotts was wondering when you would make your appearance. Punctual I see. Good, we're off to a good start." A Goblin named Griphook snared at her, his voice dripping with venomous sarcasm.

"Yes well, I am here for two reasons today: to access my vault; and to claim my Potter Heirship ring."

"Straight to business then? Good! I trust you are already aware of the required procedure?"

Aster knew that she had to provide a drop of blood of her own, that would then be used to match her blood with her parents, who, like all Wizards, had been required to submit a drop of blood to open their vaults. Submitting her blood in this case would do both. it would register her with the bank, and provide her genealogy. Aster nodded.

Silently, Aster offered her hand to the goblin. Without any warning, Griphook produced a glinting silver dagger, and sliced it across Aster's palm. Blood flowed out of the wound and splattered onto a parchment that Griphook had placed there not a second ago. Aster tugged back her hand, and watched in awe as the deep wound she had received quickly knitted itself back together, until her palm was fully healed, and scarless. Aster grinned. Magic would never cease to amaze her.

Aster shook herself from her temporary distraction and waited for the parchment, which had soaked up all her blood, to perform it's magic. She didn't have to wait long. The parchment glowed, and her full name appeared. Lines formed around it, and traced upwards, instantly spelling out both of her parents' names.

From her father's name, more lines traced back until his parents, Charlus Potter and Dorea Potter née Black, and their parents as well. This was expected. The Potter Line was a long-standing pure-blood house.

Lily's name produced no more lines. This was to be expected. Her mother had been the first witch of her family, a brilliant mugglebo- HANG ON! Lines WERE forming, noticeably skipping space, no doubt showing a skipped generation. Names formed. Rowan Shafiq and Fiona Shafiq née McLaggen.

Aster's jaw dropped. Her mother hadn't been a muggleborn! Lily's grandparents had both been Wizards.

The magic powering the parchment came to an end. All names present slowly faded away, until all that was left was a formerly blood-soaked parchment.

Aster groaned. Life was always hurling surprises at her.

After conducting all of her business, she met the Longbottoms outside the bank.

Neville appeared worried. "Aster! What took you so long?! Was there a problem? Did you not get through?"

"Calm down, Nev! Yeah, I got through. I was just in for a bit of a surprise is all." Aster raised up her hand, and showed the Longbottoms the two Heirship rings she was currently sporting.

The Longbottoms' eyes bulged. Aster sighed. Some explanations were in order.

 **R** emus Lupin waited outside the premier wand-making shop in all of Britain: Ollivander's. He waited there not because he needed a new wand, but because his niece, Aster, would finally be receiving hers.

He knew that Aster would be stopping off at Gringotts first to collect her money, and then to receive her Heirship ring, as was customary for heirs who had turned eleven. Remus was aware however that Aster would not be receiving only one ring. He had known, of course, that Lily had been the Heir of the House of Shafiq but he had been unable to tell Aster of her mother's heritage because of the Unbreakable Vow he had sworn eleven years ago.

Remus sighed. Aster would not be pleased.

 **I** n a dark forest a council was meeting. A towering castle loomed in the distance. Seven figures, all clad in deepest black, sat in thrones made of vines. An important discussion needed to be had.

"There is evil rising further West. Our patron has warned me. Something is stirring. Powers that are Ancient and terrible. Those Greeks may be powerful but they are often willfully blind to the dangers that lurk in the shadows."

"Not to mention the Egyptians! That horrible serpent is obviously gaining power. I can practically feel it in my bones. The fight must not be going well for Lady Bast."

The council descended into chaos as each member sought to point out a pantheon that was failing in its duties to maintain the world order. However, as a bird's cry pierced the night, silence reigned. Each member of the council began to fidget in terror. They were are all aware of what that call meant: the Morrígan was here.

A beautiful woman floated down from the sky, dark wings flapping behind her. Her blood red lips were set in a smirk and she had a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"I had not expected to find the Celtic Council squabbling like children. It leaves me most disappointed. Now does anyone have anything more they wish to discuss?"

The members of the so-named Celtic Council, who had immediately dropped to their knees, shook their heads collectively. The Morrígan was not a being to be trifled with.

"Ah good. Now, while you all were busy discussing the rest of the world, you seemed to have failed to realize that right here on our own isles, dangerous powers are stirring. Magics best left untouched have been attempted. In fact, one of you pointed it out already. Apophis is gaining power. How? I do not know. But what is obvious is that someone is providing him with aid."

A councilman made to speak, but the Morrígan was not in the mood for interruptions. With a twitch of her fingers, he was transfigured into a murder of crows.

"Normally, we would leave an Egyptian problem to the Egyptians, but, we of the Celtic pantheon will not risk the rise of that snake again, especially not in these lands. A solution must be found. And I believe I have just the right person for the task…"

 **I** n a similarly dark forest, this time in Albania, a shade was at work. Dead snakes littered the forest floor.

The shade's smoky form flickered in and out of existence, until it slipped into a nearby snake, of the only ones left alive. Cold red eyes flashed, and a forked tongue tasted the air.

It was a start.

 **H** ogwarts. September 1st, 1991.

Ronald Weasley was having the time of his life. Finally, he was in Hogwarts! Also, his best friend, and somehow cousin, Neville, and Neville's godsister, THE Morgan Potter -though he just called her Aster - had sat with him in the train. He was already, by association, one of the most popular first years.

Life couldn't get better.

Well it could, actually. His brothers, Fred and George, had warned him of the Sorting Ceremony. He would have to battle a troll! He hadn't even been able to turn Scabbers yellow! How on earth did the professors expect him to be able to fight a troll.

Luckily, however, Ron had a secret weapon. After much pestering, Ron had needled out of the twins a magical means that would be sure to protect him from the troll. Before entering the castle, he would need to soak himself in the waters of the Black Lake. As the twins had discovered in their first year, the Black Lake had special enchantments placed upon it that would protect those who bathed in its waters.

When Professor McGonagall pursed her lips at the sight of him in sopping wet robes, and most of his year mates, who were extremely dry, giggled around him, he couldn't help but think that Fred and George had once again fooled him.


	6. Chapter 6: Sort, Smile, and Scheme

Aster Potter waited in line for her name to be called at The Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony. As she waited, she debated the pros and cons of each house.

Slytherin would fit in with her ambitions, but the company would be horrible. Aster shuddered by just thinking about having to share a dorm room with Pansy Parkinson.

Hufflepuff would be great if the stigma attached to it weren't so terrible. A commonly held belief was that people were sorted into Hufflepuff if they had no skills, and while Aster knew this to be completely false, she didn't care to be even remotely associated with mediocrity. She was after all to be the Lady of two Magical Houses, and a possible third if she were to marry a Lord. Apologizing to her distant cousin, and metamorphmagus mentor, Nymphadora, she striked Hufflepuff off her mental list.

The real debate had been between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Gryffindor had been the House of both of her parents, Neville's father and grandparents and she felt an enormous affinity towards it as such. However, it's main characteristics of courage and chivalry, while admirable, were not things she felt she had best represented in her life. She had been a scared little girl for her first few years of life, and had only recently gotten over some of those fears. Her fear of apparition and enclosed spaces, however, had remained. The medi-wizard who had been assigned to deal with her had said that it was her response to her traumatic first bout of accidental magic. Aster's hair slowly turned a listless white as she thought more about her fears.

A shout of "RAVENCLAW!" snapped her out of her wandering thoughts and refocused them on her own sorting.

Lastly, Ravenclaw. She had been most interested in joining Ravenclaw, because she thought, and many people had agreed, that she was constantly searching for knowledge. Her curiosity had in fact been the source of many headaches for Gran Augusta and Neville. Especially when she had wanted to know just how babies were made. Any trace of white hair on Aster's head quickly disappeared as her entire body turned bright red.

"Longbottom, Neville" The stern Deputy Headmistress called out.

Aster looked on as her brother gathered himself before walking straight-backed, if a little timidly, to the Sorting Hat. After a few minutes of deliberation on the Hat's part, and what seemed like an eternity for the rest of the Hall, Neville was finally sorted.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Aster nodded and cheered along with the rest of the Hall. She had imagined that Neville would either be placed in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff.

After the Patil twins were sorted, it finally came to Potter.

"Potter, Morgan"

Aster almost forgot that they would be calling her by her first name, but after a moment's double-take, she strode towards the hat. The Hall was completely silent as she placed the Hat stop her red hair.

"I see." This was all the Hat told her before it roared "RAVENCLAW!"

Aster grinned and ran off to the Ravenclaw table where she was being cheered on fiercely.

It was a great night.

After what seemed like hours of eating and chatting, the Headmaster sent all students to bed. Aster got up with the rest of her table and proceeded to follow the prefect, Robert Hilliard, to the Ravenclaw Tower. Before she could leave the Great Hall, however, she caught Neville's eye and gave a quick wave and smile.

As she and the other first years ascended a flight of steps that were enchanted to change direction every few minutes - "Five minutes" she heard a girl next to her whisper, "It's in Hogwarts: a History!" - Aster could not help but admire the castle she would be spending the next seven years of her life. High ceilings, dramatic staircases, thousands of magical portraits, suits of armour, and ghosts floating around. Everything in Hogwarts was steeped in magic, literally.

Soon, the Ravenclaw troupe arrived at a door with heavily stylized bronze eagle-shaped knocker. The prefect shook the knocker. Immediately, the eagle knocker came to life, startling a great many first years.

" You can see me in water but I never get wet. What am I?"

The prefect made a great show of not knowing the answer then turned to the first years.

"Who knows the answer?"

"A reflection!" three voices shouted out not half a second later.

The door swung open.

Aster turned to the two other firsties who had answered with her.

One of them was a small Indian girl with puffy cheeks, rich dark brown skin, and long silky pin-straight black hair. She recognised her from the sorting as one of the Patil twins. She had noticed that the twins, just like her and Neville, had been sorted into different houses.

The other one who had answered was a girl as well. Aster realised this was the same girl that had been able to give so many details on Hogwarts throughout the journey to Ravenclaw Tower. The girl had bushy brown hair, tanned skin, a pretty face, but some rather unfortunate front teeth. Hermitage or something was her name.

They all smiled at each other. It would be the start of a beautiful friendship.

 **N** arcissa Malfoy had been a widow for six years. Despite that fact, she still didn't know how she truly felt about her husband's death. She had experienced a rush of emotions when she received news of his botched kidnapping, and his subsequent Dementor's Kiss.

She had felt sad because she was mourning the loss of a man who she had once genuinely loved, and who Draco had idolised. Elated because she would never have to suffer his abuse and humiliation again. Anger because his botched plot had left the Malfoy name in the dirt, and had cost the House socially and financially. And fear because Lucius had been one of the Dark Lord's chief lieutenants, and when he returned - and he would return, no doubt - he would wish for Draco to take his place.

That to Narcissa was unacceptable. Thus, despite her mixed feelings, Narcissa, had over the past six years, maintained her House's unofficial support of the Dark Lord while attempting to cultivate goodwill within the ministry and with the Leader of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore, himself.

Her six years of tireless work had paid off. She had received from Dumbledore, and Severus Snape for good measure, an Unbreakable Vow that he would do everything in his power to protect Draco from the Dark Lord. In exchange, she would support the Order of the Phoenix monetarily and with information when she could.

Moreover, Narcissa had realised that despite the many allies she had, more power behind her would be needed. This had led her to approach two specific people, both of them Blacks.

Narcissa had approached Andromeda, her elder sister, -secretly of course - to not only make up for her total abandonment, and attempt a reconciliation, but also to atone for her misguided beliefs, all the while positioning Andromeda into a position in which she could be a powerful ally.

Narcissa, and her two sisters, Andromeda and Bellatrix, were the daughters of Druella Rosier, who had been the only sibling of Evan, Lord of the House of Rosier. Evan had died childless at the end of the War at the hands of Mad-Eye Moody.

Thus, when he had died, Druella had become the Lady of the House. Unfortunately, her mother had gone completely crazy and hat attempted to transfigure herself into a teapot. She had failed, but had spent the years in St. Mungo's. Incidentally, she had been killed during the infamous St.Mungo's attack. That left Bellatrix, as the eldest daughter, the rightful Heir to the House. Being a murderous witch, however, had impeded Bellatrix from claiming her rights, as she was currently serving a life sentence in Azkaban.

With Bellatrix unable to claim, that left…

"MORGANA'S TIT! Why didn't I think of that!?! The Lady of a House! I love Ted but it always was my dream! You remember Cissa, don't you? Now I can have both my heart and my dream! I must go to Gringotts at once! Who knows if Trixie could escape and steal it right from under my nose! Not today!"

Narcissa laughed. Andromeda always had been so dramatic.

An hour later two Ladies of Magical Houses sat in the Wizengamot.

"We welcome the new Head of House Rosier, Lady Andromeda!"

"Yes, thank you MInister. It is my pleasure to be here. However, Lady Malfoy and I, have urgent business that must be dealt with. It concerns the trial of an Heir of Ancient House. The trial of Sirius Black. Or, better said, the lack of one!"

The gasps that had ripped across the room at the name of the infamous convict increased in number and fervour as the entirety of the Wizengamot reacted to the newly invested Lady's opening statement. One Lord even fainted.

Andromeda Tonks, née Black, now Rosier, revelled in the attention. Her time to shine had come! Even if she was more than aware of Narcissa's attempted manipulations, as long as their interests aligned, no problems would be had. After having been exiled from her family, she would take this chance to re-establish herself in society. A place that was all hers. Only she of her sisters would be an actual Lady. They had just married Lords. It only cemented the fact that she was the most intelligent of her sisters.

Narcissa looked on as everyone played into her hands, all of them oblivious. And soon, she would have yet another ally in Sirius. Once he was found innocent, with a little guidance he would assume his place as Head of House Black.

Narcissa really was the most intelligent Black sister after all.


	7. Chapter 7: Illusions of Grandeur

England, September 1990

Hermione Granger had been bullied as a child. Severely, and for a variety of reasons.

First, it had been her skin. In a primary school that had catered to the more well-to-do families of her neighbourhood, she had been the only visibly mixed-race student. That had lead to scathing comments by most of her peers on just how dirty she must be, how strange she was.

Her bushy mane of tangled brown hair did not help. The girls had taken every opportunity to taunt her about it. They would pass their hands through their long, silky, and usually blonde, hair, and then yank at hers. It had gotten so bad she had often returned home with her scalp completely red, and smarting from all the tugging.

And she wouldn't even mention her teeth. Her parents were dentists for God's sake! The irony was too great.

But her bullies' biggest motive: her intelligence.

Hermione was a borderline genius, and this quickly became apparent to the members of staff of her school. With an almost photographic memory, and a voracious appetite for reading she had excelled so much that it had been impossible for her to continue with her age-group. Thus, Hermione ended up skipping a year, and another… and another, until at age ten, Hermione had ended up in a class with fifteen year olds.

Intellectually, Hermione had shone. Each year, she proved that she was capable of handling the workload assigned to her, and more. Every year, the teachers would raise their expectations of where they expected Hermione to reach. Some thought she would be the next Einstein, or Freud, or Shakespeare, or Churchill. With her intelligence, the sky truly was the limit.

Emotionally, it had been traumatizing. Before, she had dealt with the infantile insults of children her own age. After skipping so many years however, the situation had changed completely. As an ten year old in a class full of teenagers, taunts had taken on an entirely different intensity. It had almost broken her.

On her eleventh birthday, Hermione was pounced on by an owl. It landed on her hair, leaving behind something heavy on her head.

"Of course! Even the birds don't like me. But did it really just lay an egg in my hair?"

Hermione swiped at her hair, determined to rid it of any possible owl eggs. As she did, her hand brushed against something papery. After a bit of manoeuvring, she was finally able to detangle what she found was a letter from her hair.

The contents of the letter would change her life irrevocably.

She was a Witch!

Of course, she had already known that she had been special for some time now. Her first experience with the bizarre had been when she was five and Betty Andrews, a spoiled brat in her year, had been pulling at her hair. She had felt so angry, and so humiliated, and just wanted everything to stop, and then, magically it had. Betty had been frozen in place, completely immobile, for the entirety of lunch time, which gave Hermione almost an entire hour for herself! She had loved it. But she wanted to know exactly what had happened.

Thus, Hermione's naturally inquisitive mind lent itself to the task of discovering how exactly the strange incidents - and there had been many- happening around her had occurred. She soon became convinced that she had mystical powers.

Focusing those powers had been almost impossible. No matter how much she read, and how much she tried, she couldn't channel her power at a whim. This was the case for most everything she had tried. One ability, however, had very recently become available to her after years of trying and it had radically altered her treatment at school.

Hermione was now a quite capable illusionist.

But of course it was just a coincidence that her bullies had been having hallucinations as of late. Must have been drugs. The principal and their parents had certainly agreed. Especially after "seeing" one of the students "destroying evidence".

Hermione chuckled. Revenge had been served.

She would have to prepare for this Professor McGonagall's visit.

 **H** ermione frowned.

Professor McGonagall had explained to Hermione and her rather worried parents that Hermione was what the Wizarding World called a muggle-born.

What the Professor hadn't explained, however, was that muggle-borns were social pariahs, and were often called Mudbloods by the Magical Elite, the purebloods, especially those of the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight.

It had taken Hermione all of one hour in Flourish and Botts, a magical bookstore on Diagon Alley, to discover this. She wondered why the Professor had not revealed this to her or her family. Surely she would want to at least warn the Grangers of the possibility that she could face prejudice?

Putting that aside, Hermione refused to be put into a position where she would be bullied again. She had spent her entire time at schooling being taunted and ridiculed. Until a few months ago she had been a helpless victim.

Now, however, things would change. And she had just the plan to make sure she stayed on top.

 **H** ermione visited Diagon Alley quite frequently after her first excursion with Professor McGonagall. Almost everyday, in fact.

During the time spent there, she did two things: she researched, and she practiced her illusions. Both would be essential to her plan.

The research would help her carefully establish herself as a person of importance in the Magical World. The illusions would ensure that she had "proof" to back her claims. Thus, it was necessary to ensure that her illusions worked on more than just Muggles.

They did.

 **E** ngland, July 1991

Hermione's plan was ready to be enacted.

She had spent hours upon hours dedicating herself to her research and to the plan, now, all that was needed was Professor McGonagall.

Hermione's plan was simple in theory. Refusing to be bullied any longer, Hermione would enter Hogwarts as a pureblood Heiress of a House thought to be extinct. She would use her illusions to convince McGonagall that her parents were both squibs who had fled certain death from their families, and had taken refuge in Muggle London.

Her father's illusion would say that he was the squib son of the Grangers, coincidentally, a once-famous Wizarding family from her father's native Haiti. The Grangers had been notoriously elitist.

Her mother's would claim that she was the daughter of Morfin Gaunt, the now-dead heir of the ancient British pure-blood Gaunt family, and a French pure-blood witch. She would say that she had been secretly raised in her mother's home, until it was discovered that she was a squib. Her mother had not been pleased and had attempted to murder her. Fortunately, she had been able to escape and settled in Muggle London.

The two then met in Dental School, fell in love, and had Hermione. This was just about the only part of Hermione's story that was not a falsehood. But as Hermione had learned, the best lies had elements of the truth.

As a precaution, the illusions of her parents would claim that they felt uncomfortable and ashamed talking about their pasts and that they would not be speaking about it again. This shut down any possible means of the Professor, or anyone else, trying to find out more information from her parents, without her there to provide the illusions.

 **I** t had all worked out! Hermione was now a pure-blood witch in the eyes of Professor McGonagall, and gossip was bound to spread about it. She just had to let the rumour mill do its business, and by the time she entered Hogwarts, it would be common knowledge. A perfect plan.

Hermione's plan truly had been brilliant, if a bit convoluted and morally questionable. Nonetheless, despite its brilliance, it had come with a flaw.

Hermione had collected an enormous amount of data to be able to support her story. She had not, however, realized the significance of some of the names she had used.

Well, one name in particular. Gaunt.

Though she had no way of knowing, Hermione had already decided her fate.

 **H** ermione arrived at Hogwarts dressed in the finest robes money could buy. She had decided that her display of great wealth would be most noticed at the Sorting Ceremony, and would add fuel to her ruse.

The hat sat on her head for a long while. They debated which House she belonged to. The Hat wanted either Slytherin, for how cunning she had been, Hufflepuff because he thought that she would benefit most from loyal friends, or Gryffindor for how brave, and foolish, she had been to enact her plan.

Hermione appreciated its opinion, but knew that her place was in Ravenclaw. In the end, she persuaded it to see things her way.

As she, Morgan Potter, Padma Patil, and Su Li settled into their dormitories, she couldn't help but reaffirm just how much she belonged in Ravenclaw.


	8. Chapter 8: Justice at Last

The first month of school had been a whirlwind!

Aster already knew all of what was expected of her in class so she had spent her time exploring the castle, and making friends.

Hogwarts truly was a magical place. Aster was sure that no one could know all of its secrets. In fact, she was positive about that. As she and her two roommates had debated, Hogwarts was constantly updating the scheme of the castle. In fact, just the week before, Aster and Hermione had been walking down a corridor on the seventh floor when a door had appeared out of nowhere. A pair of giggling Slytherin sixth years had come out of it, their clothes and hair in complete disarray. The door had then faded.

The famous Ravenclaw curiosity had reared its head. It had soon become a mystery that all the first year Ravenclaw girls were determined to solve.

Well, Su Li hadn't actually been that interested, but she had nothing better to do so she had humoured them.

When she had not been exploring the castle with her new friends, she had been in Quidditch practice.

It hadn't really come as a surprise to anybody that knew Aster that she had tried to out for the Quidditch team, despite the ban on first-years. She had insisted so fiercely that the Captain of the Ravenclaw Team, a witch named Sakura Lisel, had finally relented and allowed her to try out for the next year's lineup.

Needless to say, Aster had knocked any chance of her not playing this year out of the heads of everyone in Ravenclaw. One demonstration of her complete ease in the air, and her quick reflexes had made Sakura fall over herself in welcoming her to the team as the newest seeker.

Aster would be the youngest seeker in a century! Her friends had been so proud, and Neville had written home asking for a cake to celebrate. The cake had come delivered by the Longbottom's snooty owl, Janus, along with letter of congratulation from Gran Augusta and Uncle Remus. The entirety of her House was celebrating because they were convinced that with her natural talent on the broom the Quidditch and House Cups would finally be theirs.

Yet, one Ravenclaw was not pleased at all. The second year, Cho Chang had tried out for the position of seeker as well, but had been completely left in the dust. She had felt utter humiliation that her skills had not been as good as a puny first year, and that the position that she had dreamed of was taken by someone who was not even allowed to have a broom with her. She had lodged a formal complaint with the Head of Ravenclaw House.

Luckily, Professor Flitwick had seen things Aster's way.

Now, Cho Chang and Aster Potter were sworn enemies.

 **S** irius Black was a free man.

He had spent years imprisoned in Azkaban, slowly wasting away at the hands of the Dementors. However, a remarkable thing had happened. He had fallen asleep in Azkaban, and woken up in St. Mungo's Hospital, positively glowing with Healing Magic.

To his surprise, he had visitors: his cousins Andromeda and Narcissa, or Andy and Cissa, as he had called them. They explained to him that they had orchestrated his release, and how exactly they had done it.

Firstly, both had presented a motion calling for an investigation into the mistrial of the Heir of the House of Black. Using their not inconsiderable charm, they had managed to wrangle up enough support from the Wizengamot to pass the motion.

Immediately, heads had rolled.

The Head Auror at the time, Amelia Bones, now head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had not followed the correct procedure in arresting a suspect. Instead, she had arranged for Sirius to be delivered to the Minister to be "made an example of".

Thus, former Minister of Magic Bagnold, who had retired a few years after the end of the War, had been called into questioning. Under Veritaserum, she had revealed that she had never interacted with Sirius, and that it had been her Undersecretary, Cornelius Fudge, who had ordered his immediate imprisonment in Azkaban without the right to a trial. Which as it turned out, was highly illegal.

As such, former Minister of Magic Fudge, already facing a sentence in Azkaban, had been hauled in for questioning. His veritaserum-assisted interrogation had revealed an even greater scandal: Fudge had been aware that Black was not a Death Eater, but had, under Lucius Malfoy's instruction, used him as a scapegoat.

As it stood, Amelia Bones had been fined and temporarily suspended from her position; Minister Bagnold had been forced to issue an apology; and Cornelius Fudge had been Kissed. Moreover, the WIzengamot, in an effort to keep the scandal under wraps was willing to offer Sirius, and those affected by his wrongful imprisonment - Narcissa's eyes had brightened and she attempted to refrain from fidgeting, while both Sirius and Andromeda rolled their eyes - a hefty compensation fee.

All Sirius now had to do was answer, under the effects of the truth serum, the question that should have been asked ten years earlier: Had he killed Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles?

NO.

No one noticed a beetle hidden in Sirius' shaggy hair.

 **S** omehow, the story had broken and the Wizarding World recoiled in horror and shame. For some, the War had ended in 1981, yet for the innocent Sirius Black, the nightmare had only just finished.

As usual, Hogwarts was one of the first places to be informed. The newspapers that had slandered Sirius' name throughout an entire decade arrived with pictures of a teenaged Sirius Black, smiling cheekily at the camera, arm in arm with Lily and James Potter, and Remus Lupin. Magical editing, or perhaps real-life, had Peter Pettigrew a little ways off glancing sneakily at the foursome. The image seemed to capture the newly revealed dynamic of the friendship completely.

Aster Potter had not yet arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, when she heard the beat and fluttering of a thousands of owls wings. Knowing that could only mean very important news, she tugged her friends along faster. She wanted to know what had the Castle alive with the sounds of thousands of squawking birds.

As she approached the Great Hall, she could hear the uproar that the students were causing. Something was wrong! She turned the corner, and entered the Hall, and immediately, the entire Hall silenced.

Aster faltered. She had yet to get used to the heavy stares that she had been subjected to ever since she had reappeared in the Wizarding World.

"Aster! Aster! We have to go!"

She whirled around to find her brother looking frantic.

"You really don't want to be here right now, Aster, trust me!"

It was too late. She had already caught a glimpse of the flashing title of the Daily Prophet: BLACK IS INNOCENT!

She didn't know what to think! She could feel the stares of the entire Hall on her, and a crowd was gathering around her and Neville, and she suddenly felt trapped and dizzy.

Aster fainted.

 **W** arned by his mother, Draco had attempted to intercept Aster before she could go to the Great Hall, but Pansy Parkinson had been pestering him.

Now, Draco Malfoy sat at his cousin's side in the Hospital Wing, as his mother would expect him to.

His other cousin, Neville, sat in a chair next to him. Normally, the two got along, or at least were capable of having light conversations. Now, however, they sat in complete silence. Both were too worried about Aster to even think about feigning interest in chit-chat with the other.

Neville was worried because Aster was his sister.

Draco was worried because Aster was one of his best friends, and though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even his mother - and she had asked, several times, - his crush.

Draco had met Aster, or Morgan as he had called her then, a few months after his father's attack on St. Mungo's. Draco had idolized his father and had not taken the news of his death well, and had blamed Aster for it. He had even told her that in their very first meeting. Aster had first pushed him down, then ran off crying. It had shocked him then, the power of her mood swings, but he had quickly gone to comfort the girl, before she told his mother about what he had said. Somehow, they had bonded over it and soon became close friends.

And close friend quickly became crush, at least on Draco's part. She was, after all, kind of perfect.

The sound of a door slamming knocked Draco out of his daydreams. The sound seemed to have woken up Aster, because she was stirring. Turning to the door, Draco observed a visibly shaken and rather ragged - though Draco did have to admit this wasn't entirely uncommon - Remus Lupin.

By the time Remus had reached the foot of the bed, Aster had completely woken up.

Remus burst into tears.

"Oh Aster I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I swear I didn't know! I'm so sorry!"


	9. Chapter 9: Memory Lane

Remus Lupin was a mess.

In truth, he had been a mess for eleven years. He had believed that three of his best friends had been killed and that the fourth had been a traitorous scum. And he had never really recovered from it.

Moreover, still reeling from the shock and grief of losing his friends, he had faced even more trauma. His meeting with Dumbledore all those years ago had shown him that he could very well lose more people in his life. Dumbledore had revealed a secret that threatened Aster's very life. A prophecy that foretold of her death. It had been enough to shatter a man.

Yet, he had steeled himself and had put on a brave face. For Aster, and the memory of James and Lily, if not for his own sanity. He had refused to accept, and still continued to refuse, the inevitability of Aster's death.

When Aster had appeared to him in Godric's Hollow so long ago, he had half thought that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back as well, and that he would be finishing her off where it had all started. When no Dark Lord had appeared he had breathed a sigh of relief. But it was then that he had fully committed to ensuring that even if he could not prevent her death - though he would try with all that he had - he would ensure that she lived the best life she could live.

That had meant she would not be returning to those horrid Muggles, no matter what Dumbledore claimed of the power of Lily's protection. She had not been happy there and that had been enough for him.

Thus, he had arranged between Dumbledore, himself and Augusta Longbottom, sweet Aster's living arrangements. He and Augusta had been in complete agreement on everything, and he had to remind Dumbledore that Aster's guardian was in fact one Remus Lupin. The old wizard had come around in the end, and had made to sure to ward the Longbottom Mansion to high heaven, which had been an inconvenience to everyone involved.

But seeing Aster's smile as she finally found her family, and knowing that she was safe and loved, had been enough.

And in the ensuing years he was sure that he had done a great job as Aster's Uncle, a position in which he often straddled the line between father-figure, and brother.

But now he was questioning that.

Sirius was innocent all this time! If he had just thought to question him, to visit him, he could have found out so much sooner. He could have saved Sirius from the Dementors, and Aster would have had her Godfather.

He had failed James and Lily. He had failed himself. But most importantly, he had failed the true innocents, Sirius and Aster.

 **P** adma Patil was very perplexed.

Her roommate, and one of her her two best-friends, Aster Potter, had been removed from the school after she had fainted in the Great Hall.

Of course, Padma knew it wasn't only because she had fainted that she had been removed from Hogwarts' grounds, otherwise Aster would have just been treated by the always capable Madam Pomfrey.

No, it had been because Sirius Black - the man who everyone had learned to fear and hate - had been proven innocent. Padma understood that Aster must be feeling great stress to find out that the man who was said to have been best-friends with her parents - and who everyone, Aster included, had thought had betrayed them to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named - was, in fact, innocent.

She didn't understand, however, why it warranted that Aster be removed from the school.

Though perhaps she was being a bit insensitive. Emotions hadn't ever really been her forte. She had left that to Parvati.

Nevertheless, Padma, had been determined to understand just how exactly Black's innocence affected Aster. Thus, she and Hermione had taken to the library.

Books on the War, and old newspaper clippings had, however, revealed nothing that they did not already know.

A Ravenclaw's worst nightmare soon played itself out: the library had not held the answers to their questions. Padma was certain that Hermione had cried a bit after that realization, though she had insisted that it had only been some dust.

In the end, the ever-bored, ever-reluctant, ever-uninterested, Su-Li had cracked the case. Without even trying. Su-Li had told them, in that melancholic drawl of hers, that she had overheard a conversation between Neville and Draco - why hadn't they remembered to ask them!? - in which Sirius Black's significance was made clear: he was Aster's Godfather.

Now, Padma understood.

Shite

 **L** ondon

Ancient Magic flooded the city.

The air seemed tainted with magic awash with power, and more unnervingly, intent. Malice and hatred pulsed through the city, leaving muggles and wizards alike visibly agitated.

What was most curious, however, was the effect that the magic was having on animals. Two types of animals in particular: cats and snakes.

Cats screeched as they sought to escape the epicentre of the magic, screeching and hissing, as they ran in fear.

Snakes, on the other hand, slithered toward the magic, basking in its familiarity.

The source of the magic, had anyone been able to track it, was the Ancient Egyptian obelisk known as Cleopatra's Needle, where two men, under multiple disillusionment charms, were channeling magic. For a split second, the Hieroglyphs inscribed on the Needle's sides glowed a magnificent gold before the intense aura that had weighed down the city dissipated.

The cloaking spells that had concealed the two collapsed, as their attempt at channeling the power in the obelisk left them completely exhausted. But as drained as they were, they were almost jubilant. In fact, as both of them fell to their knees at the base of the monument, loud cackles could be heard.

Hidden under their sleeves, a strange tattoo of a skull and a serpent twisted and writhed, and glowed as it hadn't in all the years that they had had it. As they understood it, the glowing was a sign that all had gone according to plan.

The two men disapparated from Muggle London, and appeared in a dimly lit sitting room of a manor in Wales.

"We have done as was commanded. The Dark Lord shall no doubt rise again, stronger than he has ever been! We have seen to it!", one of the men reported to a figure in the room.

The figure stood up and walked toward the men. As it stepped into the light of an overhead chandelier, an extremely handsome man was revealed.

"Show me!" he commanded excitedly.

The duo glanced warily at each other before both tapped their wands to their heads, withdrew a silvery string of memories, and presented it to the handsome man.

"Yes, you have done as you have said. The Dark Lord will be most pleased… with me"

And before the duo could protest, they were both hit with a powerful charm. A charm in which the handsome man was devilishly skilled.

"OBLIVIATE!"

The handsome man grinned, revealing a charming smile.

An award-winning smile.


End file.
